Singletary, a Texas native, had been a Dallas fan as a kid and once said that the Cowboys were one of the few things he would fight over. "If the Cowboys didn't win, I was not a guy you wanted to talk to," he said.

Owner Jerry Jones eventually told Singletary he just didn't know him well enough and chose Wade Phillips instead.

Considering Singletary's thirst for a head coaching job, you would think that experience would have inspired him to start cozying up to owners around the NFL.

But Singletary doesn't do cozying up. "I never wanted to do any marketing, never wanted to network," he said Friday. "Just let me do my job, and hopefully the word gets out."

No schmoozing with potential bosses? "I'm not good at it, No. 1," he said. "I just feel comfortable just being myself."

On Sunday, Singletary will continue his extended job interview to get the "interim" removed from his head coaching title with the 49ers. A victory over the potent Cowboys would be a big step. The 49ers have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season and have beaten a winning team on the road just three times since 2003.

Rookie's opportunity

Singletary continued to indicate that rookie Chilo Rachal would start at right guard, replacing incumbent Tony Wragge. Singletary said it would be a game-time decision but left little mystery about which way he was leaning.

"If it's too big for (Rachal), we'll find out," he said. "We thought it would be a good time to find out."

A day earlier, offensive coordinator Mike Martz also praised Rachal, saying: "This guy could end up being kind of special. Otherwise, you don't make that change."

Clements has T.O.

Cornerback Nate Clements said he would line up primarily against Terrell Owens, with Walt Harris assigned to Roy Williams.

Acquired from Detroit at the trading deadline, Williams made his first start in the base offense last week at Washington. He had three catches for 36 yards, with each catch resulting in a first down.

JFK remembrance

The 49ers' trip to Dallas corresponds with the 45th anniversary of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. Ceremonies in the city this week will commemorate Kennedy, who was killed Nov. 22, 1963, riding in a motorcade in Dallas. "Wow, that's really interesting," said Singletary, who was 5 at the time. "I remember what kind of day it was for the country, even as a kid."

Extra points

On the injury report, Arnaz Battle (foot), safety Dashon Goldson (knee) and receiver Josh Morgan (groin) are listed as out. Linebacker Patrick Willis, who missed two days of practice because of a hip strain and an illness, participated fully in Friday's session. "He looks fine. Pat is Pat," Singletary said. ... Wragge and kicker Joe Nedney are on the NFC West short list, as voters choose the "Super Ad: Believe in Now" commercial. Fans can see the ads at superad.NFL.com
Daniel Brown, MediaNews staff